Music video “Let’s Shine”, the official song of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), was released at 9:00 PM on April 18 ahead of the biggest regional sports event, which will be held in Vietnam on May 12-23.

Singers in the MV, from left: Isaac, Ho Ngoc Ha, Den Vau, Tung Duong, and Van Mai Huong.

The MV is now available on SEA Games 31 official Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok channels.

 The scenes in the MV are inspired by Vietnam's famous and feature landscapes, as well as Southeast Asia’s solidarity, reflecting the spirit of SEA Games 31 – For a Stronger Southeast Asia.

The MV begins with a scene of terraced fields during the ripe rice season, which is a unique feature of Vietnam coupled with Nghinh Phong Tower in the southern province of Phu Yen, which combines the beauty of contemporary architecture with the symbolism of traditional Vietnamese culture and history through the Lac Long Quan and Au Co legends.

Nghinh Phong Tower also reflects the solidarity of Southeast Asia, director Le Huy Anh explained why choosing the film location.

 All 11 country flags are flapping in a location where the 2003 SEA Games have been brilliantly recreated.

Composed by Vietnamese musician and producer Huy Tuan, “Let’s Shine” [Hay Toa Sang in Vietnamese] is about people born with a mission to reach the heights, leaving behind difficulties and hardships on the journey of conquest with passion and extraordinary energy in the arms of friends and friendship.

The MV features the participation of 50 athletes, including Vietnamese Wushu Queen Nguyen Thuy Hien, the pride of Vietnamese sports and the torchbearer in the opening ceremony of the 22nd SEA Games at My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi in 2003.

Singers joining the MV include Van Mai Huong, Ho Ngoc Ha, Isaac, Tung Duong, and rapper Den Vau.

 The rap verse of rapper Den Vau is a new and interesting feature added to the song. He had his share when he first participated, contributing his voice to the official song MV of the 31st SEA Games: “Last time, watching the Vietnamese women’s football team on a difficult journey gave me a lot of thoughts to write rap verses for this song.”

Each pair of sentences expresses different ideas, but the sentence that Den finds interesting is probably the sentence: “In the past, Tran Quoc Toan (a Vietnamese young hero who contributed a lot in battles against Chinese invaders in the 13th century) crushed oranges; young people now crush all the hardships.” It is a light play on words, incorporating the history of the country and also reflecting the spirit of the young generation now.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the song. In our life, we can’t do this many times,” music composer Huy Tuan said.

“Let’s Shine” is complete with breathtaking scenery, profound stories, impressive music, and lighting effects.

Nghinh Phong Tower in Vietnam's Phu Yen Province is the filming location for the MV.

Dawn from Davao City, the Philippines, wrote on the SEA Games fan page “I’m actually envious! We never had such a well-produced, compelling, and heart-felt MV when we hosted last time. Well for us, there's always a next time for improvement. Anyways, this is Vietnam’s time and I love how effort, teamwork, and nationalism exert in these challenging days.

Leonardo Morales from the Philippines said the MV is excellent and epically produced with some of the best artists, delivering powerful concepts. Some old clips like the 22nd SEA Games in 2003 are included which “I really felt the sentimentality of the Vietnamese people.” Also, the set location in Phu Yen was captured stunningly. “I really envy that we don’t have a much more powerful MV when we hosted the last edition. May this year’s edition be a successful one as we are bound to see the shining light again.”

Young singer Van Mai Huong shared: “The 31st SEA Games song would provide a breath of fresh air and motivation to all participants, including Vietnamese athletes who will perform at the upcoming event.”

Singer Tung Duong said he wants to dedicate his heart, love, and hard work to the mission for the country’s better sports industry and more united Southeast Asia. 

Young singer Van Mai Huong in the MV.

Singer Tung Duong in the MV.

Singer Isaac.